{"id":605888,"date":"2026-09-20T04:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T04:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/605888\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T04:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T04:08:10","slug":"election-2026-nz-firsts-15-point-health-policy-feat-nutrition-intravenous-vitamin-c-and-informed-consent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/605888\/","title":{"rendered":"Election 2026: NZ First\u2019s 15-point health policy feat nutrition, intravenous Vitamin C and informed consent"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen access to these nutrients is restricted, delayed or made unnecessarily complicated, it can prevent individuals from taking early, proactive steps to maintain their wellbeing or address minor health concerns before they become more serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peters described the country\u2019s health system as \u201can ambulance at the bottom of the cliff \u2013 and New Zealanders are paying for the ambulance\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will shift the focus of healthcare from treating illness to preventing it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy supporting healthier lifestyles, early intervention and stronger communities, we can keep New Zealanders healthier, reduce pressure on hospitals and build a more sustainable health system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The policy\u2019s mental health arm included prioritising nutrition \u201cas the first line of intervention\u201d to allow healthcare providers to adopt \u201ca more holistic, preventative approach that supports both mind and body\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis does not replace the need for psychological therapies or, in some cases, medication, but it lays a foundational platform for recovery and resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a mental health crisis that continues to grow globally, especially among young people, it is time to recognise food not just as fuel, but as a fundamental part of mental healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NewNew Zealand First leader Winston Peters. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n

The policy includes: <\/p>\n

Strong focus on metabolic health.Ensure that informed consent is a core part of quality healthcare.Recognise that consumer choice is what leads to healthier decisions.Promote nutrition from primary school to medical school.Require a full independent review of the country\u2019s dietary guidelines.Reduce administrative burden and restore professional autonomy in General Practice.Support GPs by bringing health coaches into primary care.Find better ways to acknowledge nurses.Fund New Zealand scientists to assess nutritional interventions for preventing and treating mental illness.Remove Medsafe\/Pharmac barriers to recognised safe nutrients.Invest in hospital trials to assess the effectiveness of intravenous vitamin C pre- and post-surgery for preventing and treating infections.Fund a review of vitamin D and determine optimal levels for maintaining health.Invest in agricultural innovation that improves productivity, soil health, sustainability and resilience while researching practical alternatives to potentially harmful agricultural sprays.Cut barriers for organic produces and encourage investment and innovation; grow new markets so New Zealand\u2019s organic industry can create more jobs, strengthen regional communities and deliver greater value from land.<\/p>\n

Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWhen access to these nutrients is restricted, delayed or made unnecessarily complicated, it can prevent individuals from taking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":605889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[298499,2246,95,3021,1738,8996,16894,84,5903,298501,9209,1888,4760,71,134,15221,95958,9216,194642,3523,111,139,556,69,7254,6046,6177,170390,4062,29191,298500,1361,10469,1533,80],"class_list":["post-605888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-15point","tag-2246","tag-and","tag-bring","tag-campaign","tag-consent","tag-curriculum","tag-education","tag-election","tag-embedding","tag-feat","tag-first","tag-firsts","tag-from","tag-health","tag-improve","tag-incentives","tag-informed","tag-intravenous","tag-medical","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nutrition","tag-nz","tag-policy","tag-potential","tag-primary","tag-researching","tag-school","tag-soil","tag-spans","tag-that","tag-vitamin","tag-will","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/605889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}